nextoffice proposes modular urban-scale ‘sadra civic center’ in the iranian vernacular

nextoffice evisions its rammed-earth sadra civic center to elevate the urban fabric of iran’s newly-built town of sadra. with its close proximity to the megacity shiraz, the town seeks to highlight its cultural relevance with the construction of iconic and monumental projects which celebrate the rich heritage of the country with forward-thinking design. the growth of the new town requires an adaptable and expandable logic which promises steady progression and excellence over time. with its sadra civic center, nextoffice constructively disengages with the familiar monumental clichés while preserving the public kit of parts.

all images courtesy of nextoffice

iranian architecture firm nextoffice generates a ‘town within a town’ with its sadra civic center. the proposal is conceived as a part-to-whole assembly of urban components, volumes, and void spaces. the adaptable, semi-enclosed public spaces host a diverse and open set of social programming and create a shaded, comfortable condition within the strong desert context. while each building component within the complex implies a similar figure, each is designed to adopt its own logic. the design of the buildings and open spaces, thatched with clay and straw, are informed by the traditional vernacular.

in organizing the sadra civic center at an urban scale, nextoffice transforms the residential-type module into a larger public-type, a process which occurs gradually through a growth in form and size. the major public components are conceived with a performative structure, including roof systems which are mobile and retractable, with integrated tracks concealed within the slab. with respect for its natural, desertous context, the design team proposes the use of locally-sourced rammed earth as the primary building material where natural clay is filled and compressed into a mold on site. due to the fact that construction is undertaken in only a part of the lot, the minimal excavation correlates equally with the subsequent backfilling. 

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project info:

project title: sadra civic center

architecture: nextoffice

location: sadra, shiraz, iran

area: 26,965 square meters

client: khalil hajipour

lead designer: alireza taghaboni

project manager: maziar ghaseminia

design team: fatemeh tabatabaeian, homa asadi, peyman nozari, majid jahangiri, sepideh sarafzadeh, sajad hosseini, ebrahim roostaee, mohamad motamedinia, pouyan bizeh, asal karami, roza bemani, mohammad kahidi, kaveh chehri, navid ghafouri